A child seat lock device described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-233104 has conventionally been known. In this lock device, an insertion slit 22 is formed in a skin 21 that covers a cushion pad 20 of a seat cushion 24, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B. A depressed portion (groove portion) 23 is formed in a part of the cushion pad 20 that corresponds to the position of the slit 22. This lock device also has an anchor 25 that is secured to a seat frame 24a in such a manner as to face the depressed portion 23.
A catch 26 of the child seat is inserted into the depressed portion 23 of the cushion pad 20 through the slit 22 and locked to the anchor 25 in a removable manner.
The lock device is provided with a guide member 27, which is in roughly an opposite C shape, for guiding the catch 26 of the child seat from the slit 22 to the anchor 25. The guide member 27 is positioned within the depressed portion 23 by having cutouts 27b of both side portions 27a fitted into the anchor 25. This guidance by the guide member 27 prevents a tip end portion of the catch 26 from biting into the skin 21 around the slit 22. The guidance by the guide member 27 also prevents the tip end portion of the catch 26 from being shoved into and ruining the cushion pad 20 in the depressed portion 23.
For the purpose of enhancing the safety of the child seat, it is preferred that the lock device described above be designed to be able to secure the child seat more strongly. The complicated shape of the guide member 27 and the need to assemble the guide member 27 into the anchor 25 bring about a problem of increase in manufacturing cost and assembly cost of the lock device.